Are your customer service staff spending too much time answering repetitive questions? Do you want to improve customer satisfaction and reduce your support team’s workload?
Then, it’s time to consider implementing a knowledge base.
A knowledge base is like a treasure trove of information, providing detailed answers to common questions, explaining product features, and helping customers help themselves. Its growing popularity shows just how important it is in the world of customer service today.
It’s indeed an essential tool for businesses looking to enhance their customer support and satisfaction. That’s why today, let’s have an in-depth look at knowledge bases – what they are, why they matter, and how you can create a knowledge base for your brand.
What is a knowledge base?
A knowledge base is an organized collection of information related to a product or service that helps customers find answers independently.
It’s like a self-serve library where users can search for solutions, instructions, and other resources. It usually contains data like – FAQs, tutorials, guides, troubleshooting articles, and more.
Brands, or even customers themselves, can contribute user-generated content to the knowledge base. And make it a valuable source of information for all parties involved.
Suppose you’re getting a high volume of support tickets asking the same questions. In that case, you can single out that question and create an article answering it in your knowledge base. This way, customers can easily find the information they need without having to wait for a support team response.
Benefits of Knowledge Base
From the first look, you can tell that the primary goal of a knowledge base is to empower customers to find answers independently. And this, in turn, reduces the workload of customer service staff.
But its benefits don’t end here. There’s a list of additional advantages that a knowledge base can bring to your business.
- Faster resolutions: By providing detailed and accurate information, a knowledge base can help customers resolve their issues quickly, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.
- Cost-effective: With a knowledge base in place, you can actually hire fewer service staff, saving you money in the long run.
- Increases customer engagement: A knowledge base actually allows customers to contribute and provide feedback, making them feel heard and valued. Customers can even write solutions or reviews that can help other customers.
- Improves SEO: A knowledge base filled with helpful and relevant content can also improve your website’s search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your business.
With all these benefits, you can only win when you add a knowledge base. Let’s look at how you can add one.
Setting up a Knowledge Base
Now that we understand the benefits of having a knowledge base, let’s look at how to create one for your brand.
Luckily, there are many tools available that can help you set up a knowledge base seamlessly. Let’s start with how you can easily create one using your WordPress site.
Using Plugins and Drag-and-Drop Builders
To establish a knowledge base on WordPress, you have the option to leverage a wide range of plugins and drag-and-drop builders. These tools simplify the process and make it user-friendly, even for those new to WordPress.
Plugins: There are many WordPress plugins, such as Knowledge Base by Echo and Helpie WP, that are specifically designed to help you create and manage a knowledge base on your website.
These plugins offer features like article ratings, user access control, analytics, and more. They allow you to organize information into categories and subcategories, making it easier for customers to navigate and find the necessary information.
Drag-and-Drop Builders: If you want more customization options, you can opt for drag-and-drop page builders like SeedProd.
A builder like this will let you design your knowledge base your way, allowing you to choose the page layout, add interactive elements, and customize the color scheme and typography to match your brand.
With so many tools available, setting up a knowledge base on your WordPress site has never been easier. And the benefit is that you have more control and can make your own edits whenever necessary.
Creating User-Generated Content
One of the biggest benefits of a knowledge base is that it allows for user-generated content. This means customers can share their experiences, tips, and solutions with other customers.
To encourage this, make sure to include forms or comment sections where users can submit their feedback and solutions. This way, your knowledge base will not only be a source of information but also an interactive platform for customers to engage with each other.
Organizing and Updating Your Knowledge Base
Once your knowledge base is set up, it’s essential to keep it organized and up-to-date. Make sure to regularly review and update existing articles, add new content as needed, and archive outdated information.
You can also use tools like analytics to track which articles are the most helpful and most visited so you can prioritize updating those first.
Additionally, make sure to categorize and tag your articles appropriately for easy navigation by customers.
Use Third-Party Tools
Apart from WordPress plugins and builders, there are also third-party knowledge base tools that integrate seamlessly with your website.
Some of them are:
- HubSpot Knowledge Base Software: Offers a user-friendly interface to create and manage your knowledge base, integrates with other customer service channels, and comes with SEO, analytics, and customizable templates.
- HelpJuice: Promises a ready-to-publish knowledge base within 5 minutes, no technical skills required. Features include an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, team collaboration, controlled access, multimedia support, and built-in analytics.
- Document360: Provides an AI assistant, Eddy, that aids in article generation and publishing, along with an editor, category manager, and integration with CRM. You can use it to suggest topics and article ideas. It also has a drag-and-drop feature for customization and integrations with popular tools like Slack and Google Analytics.
- Hiver: Allows creation of detailed content without technical know-how. Features include easy organization of articles, multiple versions of articles, an article history feature, and data extraction from customer emails for creating articles.
- ProProfs Knowledge Base: Offers an easy-to-use platform for creating and managing your knowledge base, with the ability to import PDF or Doc files. It provides built-in analytics, templates, customization options, and a powerful search engine bar.
- Quip: A simple tool for creating, organizing, and collaborating on documents in real time, supporting all file types. It also has a commenting feature for feedback and edits, and tracks views and engagement on each article.
Whatever you choose, make sure you create your knowledge base to align with your specific needs and requirements. This way, you ensure an efficient and effective solution for both your team and your customers.
Final Thoughts
A knowledge base is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes.
It not only helps reduce the workload of support staff, but it also empowers customers to find answers quickly and efficiently. Simply put, no customer service is complete without a well-designed and managed knowledge base.
So, consider setting up a knowledge base for your business and see the benefits for yourself.
And with the various user-friendly options available in the market, setting up a knowledge base for your business has become easier than ever.
So, don’t wait any longer. Get started on creating a knowledge base for your brand and show care for both your customers and support staff.
